A Black and White Story: Book Five
by Brown-Eyed-Marauderette
Summary: Sequel to ABAWS:B4. With fifth year finally behind them, the Marauders are thrown further into the ever darkening world around them. With Death Eater classmates, family issues, personal illnesses, and the loss of dear friends plaguing their lives, they still manage to find time to be normal teens. From Quidditch practice to being up to their usual shenanigans, this is their life
1. Chapter 1

It was an unusually clear day in the middle of July. The past week had plagued England with torrential downpours, a minor earthquake, and multiple tornadoes in the countryside. Yet for some reason today, there was not a cloud in the sky. A cool breeze swept through the busy streets and over the rolling hills. Flowers seemed to be doing their best to be the brightest and most beautiful they had ever been. A small squirrel jumped from tree to tree, entertaining the children in the park adjacent to his office. It was the perfect summer day. Absolutely perfect.

Summer used to be his favorite time of the year. Days like this reminded him of that. It was when his daughter would come home from school, his young son would beg him every day to take him to the park, and they would be a true family. Picnics and barbeques and camping trips were always happening. He and his wife would take their two children to the muggle museums and when they got a little bit older, they would go see a show or musical occasionally. But every year, without a doubt, he would take his entire family to the Quidditch World Cup. They loved that so much. He moved away from the window and looked down at the pictures on his desk. His chest clenched painfully. Those days were long gone, Jay White thought as he picked up the picture of his daughter Annabelle.

It had been over a year since his daughter's and grandson's passing a day didn't go by when the pain felt like it was about to crush him. She was his little girl, his angel. Born more stubborn and outspoken than her mother, she had the strength of a lion and determination that could move mountains. Her ability to love was something of legends, the fierceness she protected 'her own' was something he would have liked to think she inherited from him. Yet he hadn't been able to protect her; he had failed.

No father should ever have to bury a child, this he felt so strongly that it nearly broke him. The day of Annabelle's funeral was the worst of his entire life. The only thing that kept him going was his son, Benjamin.

Ben was the one person that kept him going after losing his daughter. In many ways, Ben was exactly like him and not just in appearances. Sure they shared the same red hair but Benjamin was truly his son in all aspects. His unwavering loyalty to his friends (well, unwavering when he isn't grieving the loss of his only sibling, Jay amended in his mind), his determination to see the good in people, his bravery, and determination to fight the evil of the world reminded Jay of when he was younger.

He looked at the picture of Ben on his desk. It was a recent one, taken only about three weeks ago at the very beginning of summer. His arms were wrapped around Ursula Black while they smiled at the camera, waving while her brothers stood in the background making faces. Ben had been horrified when he visited his father to see that very picture sitting on his desk for everyone to see. Personally, Jay loved the picture because remembering the dark place Ben was in after Annabelle's passing, and knowing that those three teens along with the other three gave him his son back.

Looking at the girl in the frame, he had to admit that he never expected that. He was surprised when his son wrote home his first month at Hogwarts and said that be befriended not just one but two Blacks. But his son, full of surprises, stunned him again when he found out that he was dating Ursula. Now, with Ursula and Sirius being away from their mother and father for the first time this summer, he had seen a great deal of both of them, along with their other friend Remus. Occasionally, he would walk out of his office and past the library to see Ursula and Ben curled up on a sofa, both engrossed in their own choice of literature. He would sometimes stop and watch them for a moment.

Ursula would be leaning against Ben, her back pressed against his shoulder. Her legs were curled up underneath her and her head rested against Ben. Ben's left arm would encompass her shoulders, holding her to his side. Sometimes his head would be gently resting against Ursula's, other times not. Maybe one of them would shift but they never spoke a word; simply being in each other's presence was enough. They simply seemed at peace when together. While they were both so very young, Jay couldn't help but imagine one day being able to legitimately call Ursula his daughter. And sometimes, when his thoughts got away from him, he would imagine a few red or black haired children running around, calling him grandpa…

There was a knock at the door, breaking Jay out of his musings. The door opened to reveal Millicent Bagnold, the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Jay sighed wearily, "Please tell me you have good news."

She shook her head sadly, her prematurely aged face despondent as it had been since the war started claiming more and more victims. "I'm sorry Jay but you might want to be sitting down for this."

Ice cold fear rushed through his veins. He grasped the edge of his desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Is it my family?"

"Jay…"

"Is my wife and son alive!" He barked, his patience thin. Gone was the level headed minister for magic. Instead, there stood a man terrified of losing all he had left.

"Benjamin and Cecilia are fine. It's actually Cecilia's brother...we responded to the call and—" Her voice cut off as she tried to keep her composure, "and Auror Edgar Moody, his wife Alora and children Hannah, Paul and Victoria were found dead. The Dark Mark was above the house so we know there was Death Eater involvement."

Jay sighed and collapsed into his chair. He thought of his brother-in-law, Edgar. They had started out as recruits together and at first were partners. Edgar was actually the one who set up his best friend and sister. He was the one who gave away Cecilia at their wedding a year after meeting. Jay served as best man at Edgar and Alora's wedding a few years after that. Their families were close; he loved Alora like a sister. He thought of his nieces and nephews, all of them under the age of ten. Ben and Annie used to love to babysit them when they were younger.

"Did they suffer?" he asked softly, praying that they didn't.

The hesitation from Millicent was enough of an answer. Jay groaned and in a rare fit of anger, shoved a pile of books off his desk, "Damnit!" First his daughter, now his extended family? Would anyone be left standing at the end of this?

"Would you like me to make the notification or would you like to?" Millicent asked softly. Boss or not, Jay was her friend and to see him grieve…it tore her apart. He had already been through so much, losing his daughter; he didn't deserve this at all.

"I will inform my wife and we'll think of a way to tell Benjamin. Is there anything else?" He asked wearily.

Millicent simply handed him a stack of papers about an inch thick, "These are the accident and death reports from the last week."

He silently accepted them, placing them on his desk without another glance. He looked up at Millicent, one of his closest friends, and asked tiredly, "Do you think this will ever come to an end?"

"This isn't like you Jay, doubting yourself. What is this about?" She asked as she sat down in the chair across from him.

"I make it a point to read every single death report that comes across my desk. All the names are seared into my mind. Every single night I wake up from nightmares filled with their faces. The media asks me when I think this will end and I can't answer them. As an Auror I thought that I was used to death but this…Mil, I've read over a hundred death reports this week and it isn't even Friday! The muggle minister has been in contact with me but there is little we can do."

"This will end," Millicent swore. "There are sacrafices we shouldn't have to make but in the end, we will be victorious. We will end You-Know-Who."

"Voldemort," Jay corrected. "Do not add any credence to his regime. I know that we shall end him. But at what price? The lives of young are being extinguished every single day." He picked up the first file on the pile she had given him. He opened it and tapped the paper as it proved his point. "For example, twenty years of age, married right out of graduating two years ago, has a young son who will now never know his father."

Millicent nodded as she recognized the description of the victim. "He died saving three muggle children who got caught in a Death Eater attack." She remembered responding to the call vividly because the Auror that went with her was Frank Longbottom. When Frank recognized his friend, his whimper of grief tore at her heart. He feel to the ground next to his friend and slowly reached out and closed their dead, staring eyes. It was something she only would have wished upon You-kn- Lord Voldmort himself.

"So is this the price? Who's next? Longbottom? Fenwick? Maybe it'll be Ursula or Sirius? It's not like they care about age. It could be any of my son's friends and I already have to live with the fact that, in the back of his mind, there is a small part of him that blames me for Annie's death. I can't bear any more pain from him. Is that what is required to end this war; the blood of the young? How many lives will satisfy Death?"

Millicent shook her head, "This'll be over before your son and his friends get involved."

He gave her a grim look, "We said that six years ago, Millicent. What has changed?"

Defeated, she simply shrugged her shoulder, "I don't know. I'm losing Auror's left and right. Moody's still in Mungo's from the attack a week ago. We can't keep this up forever."

"I know." He said shuffling his papers. He ran his hand through his hair, noticing that there was a great deal more grey than the last time he looked. When had that happened? "But we must carry on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go give my weekly report to the media and try to give them something to hope for."

As he walked past her, she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "You're doing the best you can in the situation you're in."

He sighed despondently, "Maybe that's not good enough."

With that, a quick shake of the head, he squared his shoulders and faced the crowd gathered outside his door, every bit the Minister of Magic they so desperately wanted and needed at a time like this. In the back of his mind, he wondered how long he would be able to keep up the façade because he knew; it was crumbling just like the world around him. He was used to having all the answers, being able to fix everything. But this…he wondered how long he could keep this up.

* * *

_Yup, I'm back! This chapter is a little shorter than I would have liked but I kind of took inspiration from the sixth book and started it out from the view of the Minister of Magic, who in this story, conveniently is Ben's father. I hope that each chapter will be at least 5,000 words but for a prologue, I figured this will just be the shortest. I also just wanted to get something out there because I know a lot of people have patiently waited for the new book to start. I promise that this will definitely pick up in the future. _

_And since this is a new story, I would just quickly like to say that I am not J.K. Rowling and I do not have any rights to Harry Potter. I am simply doing this for my own fun. _


	2. Summer: OWL Results

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I'm thrilled to see so many people excited for this new story. Sorry about the wait. School is a time killer. But it should be fairly consistent updates. I will update this one and then the Doctor Who story, which if you haven't gone to check out and you are a fellow whovian, I would suggest to go read. There are now two chapters up. _

_This chapter is actually going to be split into two, the second half coming with the next chapter. It was a lot to write and I think that you guys deserved a little something for leaving nine reviews for the last chapter._

_So without further adieu, here's chapter two!_

* * *

"We've got to make this year bloody awesome. It's our last run before NEWTS destroy us," Sirius said as he leaned back in his chair in the kitchen. James was sitting across from him, the pair of them the perfection of summer; tan, fit, and relaxed. It normally wasn't like that. Normally, they would be sitting up with Mr. Potter, reading the newspaper, letting him on all the news about the war. Right now their mother was up with him, giving the boys a chance to get some food.

James rolled his eyes, "What have we been doing the last five years then?"

"Nothing compared to what we should have done!" Sirius encouraged. "This is our year, I can feel it!" He exclaimed. "Look at our luck! Sissy and Kind are finally steady without any issues, we've got Remus's furry little problem under control, Peter seems to be leaving us alone so we can actually get stuff done, and you've finally got Evans!"

"Lily," James corrected. "I still can't believe…" but then he cut off, and said, "you forgot Lucky," James reminded, his own voice losing his previous excitement.

Sirius groaned, "I know. I got I got an owl from her yesterday. Still no visions."

"It's been two months, Padfoot. I think that something must have gone wrong."

"We don't know that," Sirius argued.

"Ursula's been talking to Elyse and she's said that she doesn't think that she'll get her visions back. It looks bad and with the war how it is now…I wish we had the warning if something would go wrong."

Sirius glared at him, "You know, you shouldn't say stuff like that when Sissy isn't home."

It had been a source of contention between the three of them. Ursula had taken to spending her days in Ottery St. Catchpole with Molly Weasley. Currently, Molly was eight months pregnant and Ursula liked to floo over there every so often to spend time with Molly and her sons. The boys found it odd and stupid, since it was just the two women and two toddlers alone in a house. And with Molly being pregnant, they knew that if something was to happen, Ursula would make sure she was the last one out. She had just left about twenty minutes ago and that was twenty minutes of worrying for James and Sirius.

"Sirius Black," they heard her voice from the living room.

Sirius jumped up and ran to get his mirror while James grumbled under his breath, "Speak of the devil…"

"Are you okay?" Sirius demanded, seeing Ursula's red rimmed eyes and hearing her sniffle.

"I'm fine. Ben's not."

"What happened?" James asked, coming up behind Sirius.

Ursula sniffled, "Molly just told me that his aunt, uncle, and three young cousins were found dead yesterday. It was Death Eaters."

"Damn," James swore, running his hands through his hair as he backed away from the mirror. Sirius had a similar reaction, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the mirror tighter.

"I'm going to head over there and see how he is doing," Ursula said. "I don't know what's going to happen." She admitted softly, scared at the possibilities.

Both boys froze as they remembered Ben's last reaction to a relative passing. It involved emotionally scaring Ursula and a more visible bruise on her jaw. "Do you want one of us to go with you?" Sirius questioned.

She shook her head, "I'll go on my own. I don't know what time I'll be home, depending on how this goes. Let Mrs. Potter know."

James nodded, "I'll let Mom know."

"Thanks. Bye, guys," she said and the mirror swirled for a moment, her face disappearing.

The two shared a look, knowing that no matter how much they wished it, they couldn't do anything now.

When Ursula appeared in the fireplace in the White home, she found Mrs. White in the kitchen, sitting at the table with tears running down her face as she looked at photo album full of pictures of her and her brother from childhood. "Mrs. White, I'm so sorry," Ursula said.

"He was my big brother…" she said softly, tracing his young face in one of the pictures. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, "Ben's up in his room. He hasn't come out or made a noise since Jay told us."

Ursula nodded and with another sympathetic glance at Ben's mom, she was up the stairs walking towards his room. She knocked on the door once, softly calling his name. She got no response.

Her heart began racing and all sorts of fears shot straight to her mind, remembering the last time she had approached Ben when he was in this state. She knocked again and called his name a little louder. After testing the doorknob and finding it unlock, she slowly opened the door. Ben was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands clasped in front of him, staring straight ahead at wall with dozens of pictures tacked up. Taking a quick glance, Ursula recognized some pictures of their friends at Hogwarts or at someone's house for Christmas; Elyse liked to make multiple pictures for each of them. Also interspersed throughout were pciures of him and Annabelle growing up, some with his parents, and some of him with similar looking toddlers and young children; his cousins.

"Ben," Ursula began again, cautiously moving into the room. "Please, say something." She begged. "I know you lost your family and I am so, so very sorry. But please, don't shut me out…don't do this again, please." She was now standing just off to his left side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ben, don't close me out again."

When Ben's arm suddenly shot, she regretted to say that she actually jumped back in fear. But he was faster and his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him, tightly crushing her body to his. His face burrowed painfully into her stomach but she didn't say anything as she felt the tears soak through her shirt. She didn't say anything when his hands painfully dug into her sides as he clutched to her tightly. Instead, she simply ran one of her hands through his hair with one hand and with the other rubbed his upper back as he finally released all the pent up emotions.

"Shh," she consoled him, "it'll be alright one day, I promise."

This continued for another fifteen minutes. Gradually, Ursula ended up sitting on the bed, Ben resting his head on her shoulder as he only occasionally sniffled. Her arms were wrapped around him while she would occasionally kiss the top of his head or whisper comforting words to him.

"Uncle Eddie was my godfather," Ben admitted hoarsely, his voice shot from episode he had.

"Oh, God, Ben," Ursula breathed out in shock, not knowing that it wasn't just his uncle, it was his godfather. "I'm so sorry."

"I want to know who it was," Ben said through gritted teeth.

Ursula pulled back a little to look him in the face, "What do you mean?"

His fists tightened and his body tensed with just barely repressed anger, "The Death Eaters. I want to know which bastards killed them."

"Don't go looking for revenge," Ursula begged. "Please, if these people are strong enough to do this to your family, then you will just be walking to your death. I can't lose you Ben and neither can anyone else. What would that do to your parents? Our friends?"

"So what do I do? Just let them go free even though they killed my family!? They were children! My cousins hadn't even gotten their letters to Hogwarts yet and now all they are going to get is a coffin and six feet of dirt!" He shouted, the rage of losing his family finally appearing like Ursula suspected it would.

She flinched but didn't move, "We fight them together. We can't go running in on a suicide mission because that'll accomplish nothing."

Ben was silent for the next minute, his temper slipping away, "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "It just hurts so much."

"I know, I know," Ursula soothed, rubbing his shoulders. "When is the funeral?" she asked gently.

"Tomorrow," he paused and then grabbed her smaller hands in his, "would you come with me? I don't think I can sit through this all over again."

Ursula nodded and lifted their hands to kiss the back of one, "Of course I'll be there."

"Thank you." Ben said gratefully, the pair of them settling into their familiar silence.

The next morning when Ursula woke up, she quickly showered and put on a black summer dress to wear under her mourning robes. She reached into her closet for the detested garment. She had worn them far too often than she had ever hoped to. Thankfully, it hadn't been since the death of Uncle Alphard a year ago. She had either been at school for the other funerals she would have gone to or Mrs. and Mr. Potter didn't take them, not wanting to expose their children to such things.

She put her arm through the sleeve and immediately knew something was wrong. The bottom of her sleeve went far above her wrist, to just maybe two and a half inches. Cursing the growth spurt she had gone through, she tore the robes off and threw them on the side of her bed. There was a knock at her door and Mrs. Potter walked in, carrying two cups of tea.

"Good morning dear, I thought you would like a cuppa," she said, placing the two mugs on the side of her

"Thanks," she said softly, letting the calming aroma of the tea settle her nerves.

Mrs. Potter eyed the robes thrown on the ground in a crumpled heap. "What happened?"

Ursula sighed and glared at the robes, "They don't fit anymore."

Looking at her appraisingly, Mrs. Potter nodded to herself and then motioned for Ursula to follow her. "Come along Dear. I think I have something that will fit you." She led Ursula up into the attic, her hand resting on her aching back as she climbed up the stairs. Instead of looking through all the boxes, Mrs. Potter summoned one from the far back corner that came to a rest at their feet.

Ursula looked at Ms. Potter's face, which seemed to look older than she was. She groaned as she knelt down to open the box. Ursula quickly followed suit.

Inside the box, there were stacks upon stacks of clothing. There must have been an expansion charm on for there was no way that much clothing could fit into there. Mrs. Potter dug around a little bit before pulling out a bit of black fabric.

"You're about the size of my sister and I when were younger. When she was sixteen our grandfather died and she got new robes. Perhaps they will fit you now," she said, holding up the robes. "They aren't the most stylish but…"

"They're beautiful," Ursula assured her, running her hand over the small lace detail near the collar.

Mrs. Potter smiled nostalgically and simply looked at the clothes for a moment before handing it over to Ursula, who threw them on over her dress. They were about an inch too short on the hem but otherwise they fit perfect. "Why look at that," Mrs. Potter said as she straightened the collar. "Perfect fit."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

Mrs. Potter simply looked at her in the old robes, seemingly lost in a memory. She suddenly turned her head and looked down the hatch, "Sounds like the boys are getting up. I best go get breakfast. Just come get me when you want to be taken there."

Right before she disappeared out of the attic, Ursula could have sworn she saw tears building up in Mrs. Potter's eyes.

When Ursula walked down the stairs about fifteen minutes later, her robes straightened and her hair braided back, she was surprised to see Sirius and James sitting on the sofa in their own mourning robes. They didn't seem to notice her approach as the two continued to make plans for the full moon the two weeks.

"James? Sirius? What're you doing here?"

"Well in case it escaped your attention, we kind of live here," James said condescendingly.

Ursula swatted at his head but he ducked. "Seriously, you are normally dead until noon. It's eight in the morning."

"We're going with you. You'll need us and King'll too." Sirius said. "Moony is going to meet us there with Lucky a little later."

"What about Peter?"

James waved off her question, "He's on vacation in Mexico right now with his family. Besides, you know how well he does with funerals."

"Kids!" Mrs. Potter shouted from the kitchen, "Breakfast!"

Once they had finished their breakfast, the Potters apparated the three to the funeral. Ursula instantly caught sight of Ben standing near his father. She instantly took off to be with him while Sirius and James saw their friend Frank Longbottom nearby. They walked over to talk to him, trying their best to distract Frank from the loss of his colleagues. Soon Remus and Lucky were there but there was nothing much they could say to each other. For most of the day, they spent their time around Ben, either trying to distract him or letting him vent or maybe tell a story or two about his extended family.

When it came time for them to leave, Ursula left with the Potters, not wanting to intrude on the White family and their grieving. The second the three of them were back home, they threw their robes off and tossed them in a corner of the living room, not wanting to even look at the dreaded clothing. Sirius and James ran up to their room while Ursula went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, running into Mr. Potter who was taking multiple potions.

"Ah, Ursula, I see Eva got you and your brothers," he said as he settled himself into a chair.

"She did. It was time for us to go."

"How is your bloke doing?"

She sighed and took a seat across from him, "It's hard. It was his godfather and the only cousins he was close to. The other ones are older than him or live in different countries. Apparently, half of them live in Canada so their visits aren't often. He's already lost his sister and then to lose his extended family...he's coping the best he can."

Mr. Potter nodded and was silent, sipping on a cup of tea he made himself. His hands were shaking as he brought it back onto the coaster, his actions slightly jerky. "Listen, Ursula, I realize that I'm an old man and I don't have much time left."

"Please, stop," Ursula begged, not wanting to even think of what he was saying.

"It's a fact of life. We all die. I'm lucky. I've lived a full life. I have a beautiful wife I fall more in love with every day, a son who is my entire world, two more children that I can't imagine my life without, friends I would have died for, and memories of a life well lived. I pray that you, James, and Sirius experience all the wonders of life I have; finding someone you love, marrying, having children. But I know my children. You're going to fight this Lord Voldemort."

"Yes sir," Ursula responded softly at his unusually stern gaze. "Sirius, James, and I are all planning on joining the Order of the Phoenix once we graduate from school."

"What type of life do you think you are signing up for?" He asked innocently.

"The type where we fight for what is right."

"Can you kill a man, Ursula? Look me right in the eye and tell me that you would have no qualms about using the killing curse on a Death Eater. For all you know, one of your cousins, maybe one of your playmates from childhood, maybe a former classmate, might be behind that mask. I don't want to discourage you but would you be able to do that?"

Ursula paused as she thought through the heavy question. She at first wanted to say no, that she never could take a man's life. But then that voice in her head stopped her and, while it went against all her morals, she realized that if someone was about to kill one of her friends, she wouldn't hesitate. She would kill someone threatening Sirius, Elyse, James, Remus, Peter…god, Ben. She winced as she thought of a world without Ben in it and she knew for certain her answer.

"For my friends, I would." She responded. "I would kill for James. For Ben. For Sirius. For all of them."

He nodded and folded his hands under his chin, "And how would you be able to cope if you didn't get there in time? Chances are, at least one of your friends is going to die if you all join the Order."

"I'll stop it." She asserted. "James and I have been discussing different tactics and defensive measures. We can protect our friends."

"And what about Ben? I know that the chances are so slim that I would never get to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day but would you get married in this situation? Have a family?"

Ursula immediately wanted to deny getting married. She had always sworn when she was younger that she would never get married and if she did, it would be to a muggle. And here she was dating the pureblood son of the Minister. She thought about being married and for the first time, she wasn't terrified of the idea.

"Maybe marriage. I don't want to bring a child into this world with how things are. And don't speak as if you won't be there. You'll be the one to walk me down the aisle and you'll be there to see James marry Lily and see Sirius crash the motorcycle you guys think you are hiding from Mrs. Potter and me."

He chuckled the tension in the room melting away, "Can't get anything past Potter women, can we?"

Ursula shook her head and laughed, "Nah, you guys aren't sneaky enough."

"I used to be able to out-sneak the best Slytherins. Guess old age has made me go soft, eh? But that doesn't mean I don't worry about my little girl. I want to make sure that you'll be taken care of once I'm gone. I know james and Sirius will look out for you, as would the rest of your friends. When I die, I don't want to see any of your faces anytime soon."

She was about to respond but she was over taken by a large yawn. Mr. Potter laughed and shooed her away. "Go get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"'night, Dad," she murmured sleepily, not catching what she had called him.

He simply smiled to himself as he took another sip of tea. That was the first time she had called him dad and it sent a warm feeling through him that no cup of tea would ever be able to do.

* * *

One week later, Elyse was standing outside her house, waiting for the arrival of her friends. Her short, spikey hair was flying around in the wind, making her look like a ginger James. Their OWL results had come the previous day but they all agreed that they would open them together. It was decided that they would meet up at Elyse's.

It was terrible waiting. The envelope had been taunting her the entire night, pleading for her to open it but she had resisted. Peter was already sitting in the kitchen, munching on snacks her mother made while Remus was looking at the books on the bookshelf. Finally, she saw Ursula, Ben, James, and Sirius walking up towards her house.

"Woot took yeh so long?" She demanded of them when they were close enough.

Ursula rolled her eyes, "Have you ever seen those two be on time for anything?"

"Good point." Elyse concurred as she opened the door for them. The boys all walked in while Ursula hung back with Elyse.

"So, Elyse, did you get that diving lipend for the cars?"

"It's a driver's license 'n yeah, I got me license."

"Wicked. How are things with your visions?" She asked, concerned.

The change in Elyse was immediate. Her eyes became downcast and her shoulders hunched over. She didn't need to say anything for Ursula to figure out what that meant. Ursula placed her hand on her shoulder in silent comfort. The serious mood was broken by none other than Sirius, shouting at them to hurry over so they could "open these damn things."

They all pulled out the same envelope, the only difference being the name and address on the outside. All at once, they ripped open their envelopes. James whooped when he read his score, "All O's baby!" He shouted elatedly. "Whose wicked brilliant? I am."

"Get off your high horse, I got all O's except for History of Magic and considering it was the day after the full moon, it is a miracle I got an E." Remus pointed out.

"What about you Sirius?" James questioned.

He shrugged, "O's in Defense, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and Herbology. How the hell that happened, I'll never know. E's in Charms, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. I got an A in Muggle Studies and failed History of Magic. How about you Sissy?"

"I received O's in Charms, Defense, Astronomy, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures. Three E's in Potions, Herbology, and History of Magic. I got an A in Divination as well."

"Congratualtions, Love," Ben said, giving her a side hug and giving her a chaste kiss. Sirius gagged and James rolled his eyes. "What about you, Lover boy?"

"O's in Transfiguration, Defense, Potions, and Ancient Runes. E's in everything else except Astronomy. I got an A on that one. How did you do, Peter?"

Peter, didn't seem like he wanted to share but he said that he got his OWLs in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Defense, and Care of Magical Creatures, getting either an E or A on them. Unlike his friends, he had no O's to boast about.

Elyse would have told them about her scores but she could only stare at the terrible piece of paper in front of her.

**_Ordinary Wizarding Level Results_**

_Pass Grades: Fail Grades:_

_Outstanding (O) Poor (P)_

_Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)_

_Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

**_Elyse Catherine O'Brian has achieved_**

_Astronomy (D)_

_Care of Magical Creatures (A)_

_Charms (E)_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts (T)_

_Divination (P)_

_Herbology (E)_

_History of Magic (T)_

_Potions (A)_

_Transfiguration (A)_

She had failed most of her OWLs or scored much lower than she should have. As if this summer couldn't get worse. Though, maybe in the back of her mind she wondered if it was best that she didn't see this coming. That would have killed her to see such failure.

Remus seemed to be the only one who noticed her distress. "Elyse? What is it?" He asked softly, without drawing attention from the others.

Silently, she handed him the paper. Within a second, Remus pulled her into a hug. "It'll be alright, Elyse. Trust me."

For her sanity, she had to believe him so she nodded. But in the back of her mind, the doubts still existed. How could Remus know? It wasn't like he could see the future. Not like she used to be able to. The lack of her gift was driving her insane. A darkness was settling in her mind, worthlessness sometimes crashing over her like a wave from the ocean on the sand. But with Remus right there, supporting her, it felt like she would be able to survive it and make it out in the end. Maybe she would learn to live without her visions.

She pulled away from Remus's embrace and looking him in the eyes, her thanks just on the tip of her tongue when suddenly she froze and her eyes glazed over in a vision. Remus gasped in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing…


	3. Summer: Not Knowing

She pulled away from Remus's embrace and looking him in the eyes, her thanks just on the tip of her tongue when suddenly she froze and her eyes glazed over in a vision. Remus gasped in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing…

_James sat leaning against a cold stone wall, his arms and feet chained with thick iron, giving him only four or so feet to move. There was a horrific looking gash going down his face, half of it covered in blood. This shirt was torn and he lost his shoes and one sock. There were multiple tears in his trousers and a worrisome amount of blood decorating them. His hair was matted down to his head with blood, sweat, or grime; Remus didn't know. His hands were bloodied and his wrists were bruised. It looked as if he had tried to pull the chains out of the wall on his own, simply injuring himself further._

_A scream down the hallway suddenly brought James to a rage. He sprung to his feet despite all his injuries and yanked against the chains. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" He screamed, his voice raw._

_The tortured yell from down the hall suddenly intensified. James struggled more against his bonds, desperately trying to break free. The prison like door in front of James swung open and before Remus could even see who was in the doorway, a cold, frighteningly familiar voice hissed, "Crucio."_

_Remus nearly gagged as he watched James fall to his knees in pain as he silently suffered the torture curse. His back arched back and he bit down on his lip, drawing blood. The figure stepped into the room, cloaked in black. ._

"_James Potter, trying to be the hero once again," the man Remus now realized was none other than his classmate, Severus Snape behind the mask._

"_Severus Snape, trying to Voldie's little bitch again," James growled, spitting blood at Snape's face._

_Faster than James could react, Snape shoved him against the wall, his hand wrapped around Jame's throat. "Do no test me, Potter," Snape said softly and slowly, drawing out the words as long as possible. "I could end your pathetic existence at this very moment." He brought up his wand and traced it down James's cheek, leaving a thin cut from the corner of his left eye to his chin._

"_You bastard," James spat at him. "You could kill me and your buddy Voldie could kill Ben in this very moment and you still wouldn't win. No the war, not her, nothing."_

"_Pathetic swine, show me some respect! I could torture you to insanity," Snape stepped back and subjected James once again to the cruciatus curse. "I could make you live out your worst nightmares," he pointed his wand at Jame's head, causing James to grab frantically at the sides of his head. When Snape finished, he stepped back and watched James's tremble on the ground in pain._

_Then suddenly, James started to laugh. Slightly hysterical, he looked up at Snape and started to laugh again, that is, until Snape's foot swung out and connected with his cheekbone, knocking James back._

"_You insolent, pretentious imbecile!"_

_James lay on the ground, panting. He spit out some more blood, before saying, "You think that you've won. It's funny."_

"_Funny? Tell me Potter, how is funny I will finally get my revenge. Say your last words,"_

"_Revenge?" James asked, shocked. He turned to look at Snape, his brows scrunched together as he tried to figure out what he meant. "Wait a bloody minute, is this about Hogwarts? Seriously? That was years ago!"_

"_You stole her from me," Snape growled._

_James's eyes widened, realizing that this was more than Snape getting revenge for him being a bully when they were younger. "Lily? You're going to kill me because Lily loves me?"_

"_She doesn't love you," Snape hissed. "She could never love a man like you."_

"_And she could love you? Someone who tortures and kills people because of their blood, the blood she has? Let me tell you something Snivellus, the only person I've killed was a Death Eater who tried to kill Lily! Now tell me that you are the better man," James shouted. "You can't because you're a bloody Death Eater and she will never, EVER love you!" He leaned forward, his arms behind him, as he went as far forward as he could._

_Snape stared at James with hatred in his eyes but then something reflective caught his attention. Before James could lean back, Snape grabbed at the thin gold chain that hung around James's neck, a ring resting right over where his heart was. It was a simple gold ring, nothing eye catching._

"_What is this?" Snape demanded in a slow, droning voice of just barely controlled rage._

"_Let me give you a hint, Lily has the matching one."_

_Snape hissed and raised his wand, "Avad—"_

And with that, Remus found himself standing back in the Potter's living room, all of his friends three years younger than he just saw James, staring at them in concern. Remus tightly grabbed Elyse's arms, his hands shaking, "What did I just see?"

"You saw something?!" Sirius asked, shoving Remus away from Elyse.

Remus nodded, "I saw the future and I want to know what the hell I just witnessed!" His voice got steadily louder.

Eyse grabbed his arm and practically dragged him to the kitchen and slammed the door shut on their friends' faces. "Listen ter me," she said hastily, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yeh can't tell anyone aboot that? Clear?"

"I _can't_," his voice cracked, "look at James like I just didn't see him die."

She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. For all his intelligence and keeping cool under fire, the vision of the future had rattled him so deeply he was barely keeping it together. "Remus, a far worse day than that's waitin' fer James after that."

"How can a worse day be coming for him!? Snape murders James!"

"No he doesn't. James lives. I don't know 'ow, but I know he lives past 'at."

"Are you certain, Lucky. Please, tell me. Who? When? Why? How much time do we have left with him?" he begged.

Elyse sighed, knowing there was no way to answer any of his questions. "Remus, yeh know I can't tell yeh that."

"I just saw my friend tortured and almost murdered by a classmate! Oh, let's not forget that apparently Ben is being tortured by Lord Voldemort himself one room over! Tell me something before I lose my sanity!"

The room was silent except for Remus's labored breathing. Elyse calmly looked at him and softly said, "Three months after woot we just saw 'appens, yer gonna get a call from Lily 'n James announcing the pregnancy o' their first child. Yeh fake surprise because yeh already know because yeh'll remember this. Yeh mention it ter Ben."

Remus, now much calmer, practically collapsed against the counter. He was silent, just standing there hunched over with his arms crossed while looking at the ground, absorbing everything. He started to chuckle, "Who would have thought that James would have actually won over Lily?"

Elyse laughed too, "I would've."

He laughed louder and shoved her shoulder, "You know what I mean." He then shook his head disbelievingly, "Is that what you see all the time?"

Elyse shrugged, "Sometimes. I've seen a lot o' teh war."

"How're you not going crazy? I just saw one vision and apparently you've seen worse yet you're handling it better than I am."

"It's been a part o' me since forever. I'm just used ter it." She explained.

He nodded, knowing it was sort of like him being a werewolf. Most people would go insane or become unstable after being bitten as an adult but since his entire life has been spent as a werewolf, he never knew any different. "Still, I wish you didn't have to see that."

"Me too." She admitted softly, thinking about Remus's own death she had seen.

"Think we should go out there?" He questioned, gesturing towards the door. "You know, before they do something stupid?"

"Yeah," she agreed thinking of all the mischief James and Sirius would get up in her house while dragging Peter along for the ride.

Remus waved her ahead, "Just give me a minute? I'll be out in a mo."

Understanding, Elyse nodded and walked back into the living room. As she thought, James, Sirius, and Peter were missing. Ursula and Ben were sitting on the sofa and without saying a word, nodded their heads towards the window where she saw the three missing boys trying to repel themselves off the roof using ropes so they could spy on the outside. With a thundering crash, Peter suddenly went flying past the window.

Ursula rolled her eyes and Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. Elyse groaned and said, "I'll get the first aid kit."

"Before you do that," Ursula said. "Just tell us, did you have a vision?"

She nodded, confirming, "Me visions are back."

"And somehow Remus was pulled into the vision as well," Ben wanted to clarify.

"I was," Remus said from the doorway, his eyes not fully meeting Ben's, still unable to get the tortured screams of Ben's voice out of his mind, not that he thought he ever would be able to.

The couple on the sofa didn't question any further, not pressing anyone for information.

"Oi!" Sirius shouted from the outside, "Someone want to come help the idiot!?"

"I'm not an idiot!" Peter protested weakly.

"You fell off the roof, mate. You're kind of an idiot right now," James argued from a little farther away.

Elyse walked to the front door with the first-aid kit, "Before tey end oop killin' each other," she muttered before leaving. Truly, though, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Her visions were back. Even her horrific OWL scores couldn't bring her down.

* * *

One week later, the Potter house was silent. The sun was just breaking over the horizon and the birds were chirping in an impossibly cheery way so early in the morning. Ursula was awake, woken up by a nightmare a few hours earlier and was unable to go back to sleep, sitting in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of tea. She heard the front door creak and grabbed her wand from her pocket, keeping in front of her and she went in investigate the noise. What she saw was the door being closed and James setting off down the street, trying to look normal and inconspicuous.

Sirius came down the stairs seconds later, "Have any idea where he is going? The prick woke up with all the noise he made," he grumbled, annoyed at the loss of his precious sleep.

"I have no clue," Ursula admitted. "Want to find out?"

The twins shared a look; a look that most knew meant that there was chaos to follow. Sirius held up the invisibility cloak. Ursula smirked; her twin knew her well. She grabbed the cloak and threw it over their heads, disappearing into thin air.

They followed James for fifteen minutes up and down different streets until they came to a park. He sat down on the bench, seemingly without a care in the world. He tapped a rhythm on his thighs and whistled a tune. Ursula and Sirius stood about fifteen paces away.

"What is he doing?" Ursula whispered.

"I have no bloody clue. What does this park have anything to do why he is getting up this early every Saturday."

"Well I'm not going to stand around," Ursula said and with that promptly grabbed Sirius's hand and yanked him to the ground. He just barely suppressed his shout of surprise. Instead he settled for glaring at her and painfully pinching her side.

In retaliation she elbowed him in the gut. Sirius held his hands up surrender, knowing that they could turn this into a war no one would ever win.

"So what are we going to do?" Sirius complained.

Ursula put her hand on her chin and pretended to be in deep thought, "Oh, I don't know, maybe talk to each other. I hear some twins like to do that occasionally. It's good for their relationship or some crap like that."

"Well someone woke up on the sarcastic side of the bed this morning. Wait a minute, what were you doing downstairs?"

She felt her heart being to pound painfully when she thought of the nightmare that caused her to wake up screaming. "It was nothing."

"I'm calling bullshit on that. What happened?" Sirius pestered though there was a concerned tone to his voice.

Ursula fiddled with her fingers for a moment, not looking Sirius in the eye, "I had a nightmare and I couldn't get back to sleep."

Instantly, Sirius's jesting and annoying personality melted away and in place was a concerned and worried brother. He moved his arm so it was wrapped around her shoulders, "What was it?"

"I was in my house. I don't know why it was my house but it was. Then the doorbell rang and you showed up. You were dressed all in black. Moony and Wormtail were standing behind you. You took my hand and then we were at a funeral home. Elyse…" her voice cracked. "Elyse was lying in a coffin. James was in the next one, his eyes were still open, staring at me. God, Sirius it was horrible. But then there was one more coffin. You pulled me over and I saw Ben," she choked back a sob, "and we was dead. He looked so at peace. We had matching rings on our fingers. Then I felt a tug on my dress and a little girl was standing there. She looked just like Ben but she had my eyes and curls even though her hair was red. Then she asked, 'Mama, where's daddy? Mama, why is he sleeping? Mama, where's dada?' And she wouldn't stop! Then out of nowhere, her head came off her neck as a Death Eater killed her. I woke up crying." She admitted softly.

Sirius tightened his grip on his older twin, trying to offer her all the comfort he could. "Merlin, Ursula…" He trailed off. "Why the hell would you want to procreate with White?"

Ursula half sobbed, half laughed, "That would be the part you take away from that."

"What? It's not every day a bloke's sister admits that she dreamed she got married and had a kid with said bloke's friend. Though I have to say…" He trailed off.

That piqued Ursula's interest, "Say what?"

Sirius seemed mildly uncomfortable, not used to expressing his 'softer' emotions, as he liked to call them. But this was his twin. "I've never seen you happier with another person besides Ben. And while he royally messed up in the past, I'm…I'm happy for you."

Smiling, Ursula wrapped her arm around her brother and gave him a quick squeeze, "Aw, Sirius, I never thought you could get sappy."

"Yeah, well, you're my sister. With how we were raised…the thought of your future children…James's kids…maybe when this is all over, we'll be a proper family."

"What about you?" She questioned. "Any mini-Siriuses in the future?"

Sirius scoffed, "Like that will ever happen. I can't imagine settling down and raising a family. No, I'll be the awesome uncle."

"Aw, come on. You had to have thought about it."

"Maybe," Sirius admitted his voice softer than she had heard it in a while, fully of longing and a hint of regret. "But there is only one other picture that could complete the picture and it can never happen."

Ursula, shocked at what her brother just admitted, and was about to ask him when an owl swooped right over their heads and landed on the bench next to James. Her jaw dropped when she recognized the bird. Sirius noticed her reaction and questioned it, "What is it?"

"I know that bird," she said in shock.

Sirius perked up immediately at that, wanting to know who was writing James so secretively, "Whose is it?"

She pointed at the bird that was now nibbling on the treat in James's hand, "That is Hermes; Lily's owl."

His reaction was much the same as hers had been. His jaw hung slack and his eyes widened, "Lily Evans is _willingly_ communicating with James Potter? What the hell?"

"I can't believe it," Ursula breathed out in shock.

They didn't have any more time to sit there since James stood up, letter in hand, and began walking back home. The twin quickly grabbed he robe and tightened it around them before running back to the house so James wouldn't notice them missing.

Two weeks passed by quickly. On the morning of August 22nd, Ursula was woken up by someone sha

* * *

king her shoulder. "Wha—?" She questioned sleepily, reaching blindly for her wand.

"Ursula, love, you need to wake up," an extremely familiar voice said to her.

She groaned and buried her head into the pillow for one more moment before looking up to see Ben standing at the side of her bed, looking down at her with an amused and endearing smirk on his face. "Good morning, love," he greeted cheerily again as she groaned, shoving her head under the pillow and pulling the blankets.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She grumbled.

"Well, I was going to tell you that Molly went into labor last night and had her baby an hour ago but if you want to sleep..." he trailed off teasingly.

Ursula shot up from bed, her hair a complete mess and her clothing slightly skewed, "She had the baby?"

Ben chuckled at her reaction and nodded, "A little boy. They named him Percy Ignatius."

"Ginger?"

"But of course. Want to go see him," he offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her off the bed. She landed daintily on her feet before pushing Ben out of the room.

"Give me ten." With that, she closed the door in his face to get ready. Ben stared at the door a second, before walking down the stairs.

When he got back down the stairs, he sat down on the edge of the arm on the sofa to wait. He was tapping out a rhythm on his thighs when James came out of the kitchen looking worse for wear. He seemed surprised that Ben was there. "Ben? What are you doing in my house at six in the morning?" He asked suspiciously.

"Molly had her baby and she wanted me to tell Ursula. I just came to get her to take her over to the burrow.

James shook his head, "Sorry mate but Ursula's not leaving this house today."

This rubbed Ben the wrong way, "What do you mean? You can't tell her what to do and when."

"Yes I can! Especially right now!" James shot back, his anger getting the best of him.

Ben crossed his arms and stood defensively against James, "And why is that?"

"There was an attempt on Jacob Spinnet's and Frank Longbottom's life. Also, right now in St. Mungo's with only fifteen percent chance of getting out of there alive is Liam McLaggen. Cormac Zimmerman is in a coma and probably going to die within a few hours. And Sean Wood is dead. They found his body in an alley a block from his house two hours ago. Do you know what they all have in common? They all played on the Gryffindor Qudditch team. Now I don't give a damn if your father wants to give Ursula an Order of Merlin First Class, there's no way in hell anyone, including you, is leaving this house until it is safe. Do you understand me?"

Ben was silent. James's normally jovial and mischievous eyes were hardened, making him look much older than he really was. His entire posture was tense and he looked like he was ready to spring to attack at any second.

"Alright," Ben relented. James's posture didn't change. "Wait a minute, isn't Christopher Sean's brother?" Ben questioned, remembering that the beater that had replaced Sirius after he got kicked off the team was the former captain's younger brother.

James seemed to deflate, "Yeah, little brother. I haven't been able to get in contact with him but I assume the entire family is doing what we are doing. Aurors have been sent to everyone else's house. Elyse's included."

"Ben?" Ursula called as she was walking down the stairs, her hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing a loose grey tank and denim shorts. "Ready to go?" She questioned, sticking her wand into her back pocket.

"No," he responded. She slowed her descent down the stairs.

"What do you mean?"

He walked over to her and grabbed both of her hands, "Ursula, I'm sorry but there was an attack this morning on past Gryffindor team members."

The color drained from her face and she tightened her grip on Ben's hands. "Who?" She demanded.

James as the one that answered, "Liam only has a fifteen percent chance of living, Cormac is in a coma he's not going to wake up from, and Sean was found dead."

Tears filled her eyes as she heard the fate of her teammates. She sniffled and blinked rapidly, regaining her composure. "What about Claire? She and Sean just had a baby? Are they alright?"

He nodded, "From what we know, they're both fine."

She nodded, her breathing becoming labored as she tried to hold back her tears and her anger. Her hands started to tremble and she pulled them out of Ben's grasp. She began pacing around the living room, running her hand through her hair before letting her hands come to rest of the back of her neck. Her head was bowed and her eyes shut tightly.

"Ursula…?" James questioned.

She held up a finger to silence him, "I am trying," she said very softly and very slowly, "to not punch a hole in the wall right now. So if you would please not speak to me then that would be much appreciated."

Ben didn't heed her warning. Instead, he did the opposite and pulled her into a gentle embrace. All the tension and anger seemed to melt right off her as she collapsed against his chest. It seemed like he had the magical ability to calm her with a few words or a simple touch. She could bring up all the walls she had been forced to build back in Grimmauld Place but the second Ben was there, the walls crumbled. She didn't know why, but simply being around him made her feel safe, like it was and would always alright. Well, she knew why but she couldn't admit that to herself just yet.

The pair of them simply stood in the middle of the living room, rocking back and forth slightly. James had left, giving the pair their privacy. He normally would have teased the hell out of them for being so lovey-dovey but right now, he simply didn't have the heart to.

The morning of the funeral, the Potters, Blacks, and White all showed up together. Remus and Elyse met them at the funeral home. Peter said that he would come later but he had a family commitment he couldn't get out of. Remus sighed sadly when he once again saw his friends in their black mourning robes. He had been seeing them in that particular garb much too often lately. Remus technically didn't have a reason to be there. He was never on the team. But Sean Wood was still his housemate and a close friend to his friends.

"Ready?" He questioned, grabbing the handle of the door.

"No," Elyse confessed softly.

Sirius, standing near her, reached out and grabbed her hand comfortingly. "It's alright Lucky."

Taking a deep breath, tightly gripping Ben's hand in a death grip, Ursula strode forward and walked into the building. Her steps faltered when she walked through the second doors and saw the coffin laying in the front, the top open. Her breathing caught in her throat and tears started running down her face as she thought of her friend and captain lying lifeless in that wooden box. Still, they got into line and waited for their turn to speak to the family.

With every step, Ben would try to either distract her from what they were about to see or try to get their minds off it. Nothing seemed to work so he simply wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her to him to let her know that he was there. When they got to the body, he was glad he was already supporting her because her knees almost gave out beneath her.

Sean, just twenty years old, lay there like he was simply taking a nap. His face was calm and there were no marks marring his body. His wand was folded between his hands and his broom was against his side along with his captain's pin pinned to the front of his robes.

"He looks so peaceful," Ursula commented.

"He was younger than Annie," Ben absentmindedly commented.

"Do you…Do you think they are together now?" Ursula asked hesitatingly. "Playing Quidditch or something together?"

Ben made a noise between a chuckle and a sob, "She used to drag him over to our house over the summer and practice with him in our backyard. The fights they would get into debating a call…"

To keep the line moving, they paid their silent respects for only a minute before moving on to speak to the family. Ursula immediately went to Christopher and pulled her teammate into a hug. He boy, for that is all he really was, grasped tightly at her clothes and violently began to sob. Guiding him away from everyone else who had begun to look at him in pity, Ursula took him towards the back room.

Ben went to follow but when he was walking towards where they were going, he notice Claire standing there holding a young toddler in her arms. He walked over to her and she smiled slightly in greeting, though it didn't make it to her eyes.

"Hello Ben," she greeted softly, trying to calm the fussing boy in her arms.

"Hello Claire. What's his name?" He asked, gesturing at the boy.

"Oliver." She said as she tried to get him to turn around. "Ollie, say hello to Ben."

"Ewwo Wen," He said in his baby voice.

"Hello Oliver," Ben said, smiling at the toddler and held his arms out in a silent question. Claire handed Oliver over, giving her arms a well-deserved rest.

"Kwibbit?" Oliver questioned.

Ben looked at Claire in question. She chuckled sadly, her eyes filling with tears, "Quidditch," she mouthed.

Ben almost laughed. Why wouldn't Sean Wood's son be asking him about Quidditch when he can't even make a full sentence yet.

"Yes, I play Quidditch. I play for Gryffindor right now." Ben told him.

Oliver smiled, "Pwace?!" He loudly questioned, thrilled that he got to talk about Quidditch.

"I'm the Keeper," he said, feeling a stab of pain in his chest as he realized that he had taken Sean's place on the team and now he was standing front of Sean's widow and son.

Oliver just seemed to become happier and happier. He clapped his hands together and giggled loudly, "Like Daddy!"

The smile slipped from Ben's face and he nodded, "Yeah," he said faintly, "like daddy."

"Are you going to be a keeper?" Ursula questioned, walking up to the trio. She smiled at Oliver but her eyes spoke of the pain she felt seeing so much of Sean in his son.

He nodded, "Kweeper!" He shouted happily.

"Sean always said he would be a keeper," Claire said tearfully. "I never doubted him but I thought that he would be there to teach him everything and go to his games and see him play and now it's just going to be me. He's never going to see his little boy play," her voice cracked and she frantically wiped at her eyes.

"Momma sad," Oliver said, his tone as serious as a child's could be.

Claire took back Oliver, "No, Momma just misses Daddy." She looked at their pair in front of her, her eyes rimmed with red, "I'm sorry but it's time for his nap and he'll get cranky soon. Bye guys."

Ben and Ursula both offered their condolences and farewells before Claire turned away.

Ursula wrapped her arms around Ben's waist, taking all the comfort she could from him, "Ben, how the hell are we going to go back to school in two days after this?"

"Together," he promised as he kissed the top of her head. "As long as we stay together, it'll be alright."

"I don't know, Ben," she said, looking at James and Elyse talking to Frank Longbottom across the room. Sirius and Remus were speaking with Professor McGonagall who was there with her niece. "I don't want this to be us." She admitted, her voice scared and terrified.

His grip tightened around her, "I swear to you, this will _never_ be us. I promise."

Ursula nodded but mentally she couldn't help but think that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

* * *

_Sorry this took so long to get posted! College has been kicking my butt time wise. It didn't help that I just started working this week so now it is even more hectic. I hope that you all like the vision. While it wasn't really explained or focused on much in this chapter, they will be discussing what happened and why it did. Also, some more visions might be giving away a few more things while also raising more questions. Just keep with this and all will be revealed in due time. Until next time._


	4. Back to School

Only three days later, they were once again together. This time, instead of dressed in black mourning clothes and set in a funeral home, they were surrounded by chaos and bright colors as parents frantically tried to get their children on the train as quickly as possible. The sooner children were on the train, the safer. The train was magically protected. Very much like Hogwarts, it was impossible for anyone to apparate into it. Plus considering the fact that no one knew the exact path it took, it would be extremely unlikely for a Death Eater attack. Still, that didn't calm many parents' worries.

"Now don't forget to write me like your brothers, you hear?" Mrs. Potter told Ursula, her hands on the young girl's shoulders before pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Ursula returned the hug just as tightly, the small voice in the back of her head telling her that this would be the last time she would hug her if anything happened to her before Christmas.

"I love you, Dear," Mrs. Potter said, her voice thick with tears.

"Love you too, Mum," Ursula responded, knowing the sentiment was appropriate. She may call her Mrs. Potter at home, a habit she had been stuck doing for the past summer, but in this moment, it felt right.

Mrs. Potter sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Get along, Ursula. Who knows what the boys will get into when left alone too long?"

Ursula laughed at the truth in that statement. As if to prove her point, a loud explosion was heard coming from the other side of the train, a loud, extremely familiar barking laugh following it. A hand grabbed hers, almost startling her, but she instantly recognized the hand. She didn't even have to look to know who was now standing beside her.

"Sorry, Mrs. Potter, would you mind if I steal Ursula away?" Ben asked, squeezing her hand once.

Mrs. Potter smiled at the young love, remembering her own Hogwarts days, before nodding, "Of course. Take good care of her Ben," she said, reaching up to hug her pseudo-daughter's boyfriend.

After saying goodbye, Ben wrapped his arm around her waist as they maneuvered through the train to their compartment, the same one they have taken since first year. A few first years sprinted past and Ursula couldn't help but think they all seemed like midgets.

"Is it me or are they getting smaller?" Ursula questioned.

Ben chuckled and laughed, "No idea. Probably us."

"You are obnoxiously tall," Ursula pointed out.

It was true. All the boys had at least begun to hit their growth spurt that summer. Remus was now nearing 6' 3'', Ben was just two inches shorter the last time he checked, and Sirius was just slightly shorter, and James was an even 6, without the extra inches his spikey hair gave him. Peter was still the shortest bloke but he still reached 5' 10''. With their increase in height, for the most part they all slimmed down. Sure Quidditch helped but their faces lost their childish roundness and the slight pudginess their stomachs had the past years. And their voices were deeper and they no longer squeaked. Their acne was gone and Ben was currently sporting some stubble that refused to leave his face. Sirius too was starting to contemplate facial hair, though Ursula personally thought he should just leave it alone.

"I don't remember us being that small," Ursula commented.

Ben shrugged, "I don't remember being a baby but it happened."

Ursula hit him against the chest playfully, "Arse."

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, "But I'm your arse."

She rolled her eyes but a loving smile still graced her lips. Seeing they were outside their compartment and that no one else was in there yet, Ursula grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him into the compartment, and with a flick of her wand, closed the blinds. Ben laughed at her antics but was quickly silenced by her lips upon his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to him. He thanked his stars that she wasn't as short as most girls. He could kiss her without straining his neck since she was three or four inches shorter than him.

He inadvertently groaned when her hands snaked around his neck and started playing with his hair. Her touch always sent tingles down his spine and his heart racing but when she would play with his hair, it became almost unbearable.

Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, the compartment door slammed open, only for Peter to squeak and slam it shut again. Ursula and Ben broke apart, breathless, their foreheads resting against each other's with their eyes still closed.

"I guess we'll just have to continue this later," Ursula said softly.

"Definitely," he concurred. They separated completely, fixing their robes and Ben flattened his hair before opening the door to let Peter and Elyse in.

Peter was flushed a brilliant red and wouldn't look at Ben or Ursula. Elyse was smirking from the doorway.

"Havin' fun?" she teased.

Ursula stuck her tongue out at her, causing the Irish girl to burst out in laughter. "We're in bloody sixth year 'n yeh's still stickin' yer tongue oot."

"Shut it pixie."

That was accurate description for Elyse at the moment. Her hair had grown since losing it at the end of last year. Now it was about the same length as James's but since her hair was curly, it looked like a pixie cut instead of the mop that was James's hair.

"Where's Prongs and Padfoot?" Ben asked when he saw Remus tiredly making his way down the hall. That only left the last two and if Ursula was there, the boys had to be somewhere.

Remus shrugged and collapsed onto a seat, exhausted and ill due to the moon tomorrow. He leaned against the wall near the window, pulled his robe over his face, using the rest of it as a blanket, and tried to get some rest before going back to school later that night.

"You know, I kind of like your hair short. It's easier to tell the Duplicates apart now," Ursula teased.

Elyse glared at her while Peter and Ben looked on in confusion.

"Duplicates?" Peter asked.

"Lily and Elyse. They both have red hair and green eyes. It's like having a spare."

Elyse was about to respond back when the door flew open and James and Sirius flew into the compartment. "We aren't here!" James shouted before throwing the cloak over him and Sirius and huddled on the floor. Before any of them could react, two Ravenclaw Prefects opened the door, their wands raised.

Their faces were perplexed. "Um…Have you seen Potter and Black?" The female questioned.

Ben innocently shook his head, "The only Black in here is Ursula," he said placing his arm around her shoulders.

The male prefect was not easily placated. He glared at the red head, "We saw them run in here. Don't even try to lie."

"I'm not lying!" Ben quickly defended himself. "Do you see James or Sirius in here?" He motioned around the small compartment where there was no place for two sixteen year olds to hide. "I don't see them, do you? I don't particularly like being accused of being a liar."

With a final glare, the duo left. There was a brief pause before Sirius and James jumped up from the ground and pulled the cloak off.

"Thanks for that King."

King shrugged off the compliment and soon the compartment was filled with noise from James and Sirius dramatically retelling the story of them putting dungbombs in the Ravenclaw Prefect's compartment to Peter, Elyse and Ursula playing a game of exploding snaps, while Ben and Remus quietly conversed, Remus needing to be kept awake before the prefect's meeting.

"How's Patty?" Sirius asked Elyse casually, though with a certain edge to his voice when she finished her game with Ursula.

Elyse gave him a look and shrugged, "He's fine. Missin' me. He starts school 'n a week. Why?"

Sirius shrugged, "Just wondering. How are your visions lately?"

Her eyes instantly darkened, looking decades older than they could possibly be. Sirius chuckled darkly, "That good huh? Care to share?"

"Sirius…"

"I know, I know. You can't tell us. But just so you know, you don't need to worry about half the stuff you see."

She looked at him confused, "Woot yeh mean?"

His eyes hardened, "I know you've seen horrible things happen to us, probably seen some of us die. But I will let you know that I am not going to let that happen."

"Yeh—"

"I'm not going to be alone. Do you understand me? No one in this compartment is dying before 100. Understand?"

He didn't care what she had seen. He honestly didn't. All he knew was that he was going to change it. There were very few things he had in life. For the first eleven years of his life, he truly believed he didn't have a home, parents, or a brother. Now, six years after that, he had two places to call home, Hogwarts and the Potters', parents, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and a family, the people sitting in this compartment right now.

Maybe he always didn't show it but they were his family. Besides Ursula being his flesh and blood, James was his brother in every sense of the word. There was no one on this Earth that Sirius trusted more or believed in more. He and James were like two sides of a coin, different yet so very much the same. Remus was different. He was the responsible one, the one that would make Sirius see sense, the try to rein him in occasionally. And Sirius loved him like a brother. His animgus form was proof enough of that.

Peter, well, Peter was like the little brother that he teased, harassed, was annoyed with all the time, but was still his family none the less. If he was being honest with himself, he would say that Peter was more of a cousin than a brother. Ben, on the other hand, was steadily making his way to actually being his brother. Sirius sneaked a look at him and Ursula, reading the same book. Each held a side of the book and with his other arm, Ben had it wrapped around Ursula's shoulders. As much as he had wanted to murder King for doing what he had done to Ursula a year ago, Sirius found himself almost, _almost_ hoping that one day they would get married, making Ben his brother-in-law. He made his sister happy and was a true friend to both twins. It was especially impressive considering their families had had problems with each other going back generations yet Ben looked past that and never judged them the first time he met them in this compartment.

"Sirius…" Elyse said, breaking his train of thought. "Yeh know—"

"I know that these visions are supposed to happen or whatever but hell, I'm not going to let some bloody prediction ruin my life."

"But—"

"You guys are all I have," Sirius admitted softly, for once letting this side of him out. "I can't lose any of the guys or Ursula."

"Woot about me?" Elyse asked, semi-sarcastically.

Even though he knew she was just kidding, Sirius reached across the aisle and rested his hand on top of hers. "Especially you." He whispered, the truth heavy in his words.

Elyse stared at him in shock, not expecting him to say that all. Before she could even begin to think of a proper response, Sirius stood up.

"Well, I'm off to cause mayhem and mischief. Anyone care to join me?"

Immediately James sprang to his feet. After grabbing Wormtail and forcibly pulling him along, claiming he needed to live a little the trio was gone, not to be reunited with their friends until the train ride was over.

* * *

Walking back into the Great Hall was like being welcomed back home. Quickly, they found seats together and waited for the sorting to begin.

While waiting, they noticed the new female teacher sitting next to Flitwick.

"All right, what's wrong with this one?" James asked crassly.

"James!" Elyse scolded, hitting his arm.

He held his hands up in defense. "What?! The job's cursed, everyone knows that." At her harsh glare, James conceded the questioned and asked another, "Alright, guess what house was she in?"

After three Gryffindors, a Hufflepuff, two ravenclaws, and one Slytherin were voted on, the doors opened and McGonagall led the group of new first years to the front. Then the Sorting Hat began its song.

_Centuries ago, when it all began,_

_With the corridors new_

_And classrooms not yet used_

_It had had already begun to brew._

_Though no one knew it_

_Beneath the surface it was shimmering_

_A conflict of the ages_

_Already beginning._

_It began with four friends_

_The greatest there were_

_So vastly different_

_You must concur._

_For years they were together,_

_Teaching the students all they knew_

_Sorting each by different traits,_

_By the certain ones they each valued._

_For Salazar, he valued the blood_

_Above all else_

_For he wanted the cunning ones_

_looking out for themselves._

_Then sweet Helga opened her arms_

_Welcomed all students from far and wide_

_As long as they swore _

_to be honest and kind._

_Godric differed from the rest_

_Selecting those he felt showed heart_

_Bravery and chivalry running through their veins_

_From the very start_

_Rowena valued differently_

_Looking instead looking for wit _

_And those who are creative_

_With their minds brightly lit._

_They were so vastly different_

_Yet they found worth in each other_

_Often times referring to each_

_As sister or brother._

_Times since long past gone_

_Problems still prevalent today_

_Yet you still continue to ignore_

_What I continue to say._

_I know I'm just a hat_

_And I've done by duty well_

_By sorting you into a house_

_Based where your values dwell._

_There are heads I've sat on_

_Not a decade gone_

_Already buried six feet below_

_Not even able to sing a swan song._

_From all House they hail,_

_Death pays no mind who owe_

_Their soul to him no matter_

_If the tie is red, blue, green, or yellow._

_Some around you have been suspected_

_Of committing a heinous crime_

_Some around you have been victim_

_Barely getting away in time._

_I plead, I beg_

_Do not make the same mistake_

_As the Founders and generations before_

_Continued to make._

_For the day of prevention is over_

_The damage is beyond repair_

_The tattoo on some of your arms_

_Caught on the wrong side of this affair._

_So heed my advice_

_And quit this war now_

_Before you must reap_

_What you sow._

_Look at the young in front of me_

_Do you condemn them to the same fate_

_That has befallen_

_You and your classmates?_

_While it may be too late _

_For you already_

_Do what you can_

_And hold your values steady._

_Keep that in mind_

_For the rest of the year_

_And beyond that for you must be happy_

_With the reflection in the mirror._

_Now, maybe you'll listen to me_

_And finished what has started_

_Till then, my friends,_

_Bring up the first to be sorted!_

There was dead silence. No one, not even Dumbledore seemed to know how to respond to the hat's message. After years of hearing it say that they should start working together to bring an end to the war for it to change to pick a side and fight…it was quite the change.

But still, the sorting commenced without interruption. After the first year was sorted, all the older years and the professors held their breaths as they waited some prank to befall the first year. Instead, to everyone's shock, nothing happened. And thus that continued. The Marauders clapped accordingly for their new housemates but there was no sign of any of them doing anything to anyone.

That is, until the very end.

Dumbledore had just stood up at the pulpit to address the school when one small bit of what looked like glitter fell in front of him. Then, like shooting stars, the colors of the Houses fell from the ceiling. The stars, leaving their bright tail, made loops and swirls in the air before finding a first year and covering them in one of their new house's colors. Other stars were falling and going to some of the older students and wrapped around them a few times before flying off back into the ceiling to create a fireworks display that left everyone gaping in awe or clapping loudly.

Lily looked down the table and saw James smirking, accomplished with his trick. Their eyes met for a moment and she watched as his arrogance dimmed and for the first time, she saw the pure joy in his eyes as he heard the laughter and joy of the students around him.

'_Good job._' She mouthed to him.

He smiled wider and pulled his hand out from under the table and blew on his hand causing a gold, glittering star to fly down the table. It landed on her plate and swirled around a moment before disappearing to reveal a singular, perfect red rose.

A blush spread furiously across her cheeks as she picked up the flower. When she held it, the petals glowed slightly and after a shy glance at James's eager and vulnerable face, she tucked it behind her ear. The smile that formed on James's face was bright enough to light the entire castle, Lily thought.

And for the first time in all her years at Hogwarts, Lily didn't listen to Dumbledore's speech. Instead, her thoughts and concentration was stuck on a messy haired boy with hazel eyes that was winning over her heart.

She found him later that night sitting in the common room near the fire with his Quidditch playbook in front of him.

"How's the team looking this year?" She asked him as she sat down next to him.

He didn't seem startled by her entrance, "We're going to win the Cup this year. We should have won it last year but with everything that happened…but that doesn't matter. The team is strong and I'm not going to make the team retry out. This team is going to stay together for the next two years and we are going to win no matter what."

"You sound quite determined." Lily commented.

James nodded but didn't respond at first. He made one note on the side of a play he was writing out, designed to work best for Moira's left hand throw and his and Ursula's right hand. "My dad," He began slowly, "love playing Quidditch here and when he was captain, they won the Cup. I want to win at least one Cup as captain while my dad is still—" He cut off, afraid of finishing that sentence.

Lily had heard over the summer about his father's rapidly declining health so she decided to change the topic, "What you and your friends did was impressive today. I was expecting mud pies to fall from the ceiling or demonic snakes to rise from the ground and attack all the Slytherins."

"Not bad, Lily-Flower," James said chuckling at her ideas. "But with the summer everyone has had, from friends and family dying, I didn't want those kids to be terrified of coming here. We wanted to show them that there is still joy and happiness in magic. I don't want anyone to ever lose that." He admitted. "That's why we didn't discriminate against the Slytherins this year. Usually we would have but those kids haven't done anything yet. And maybe, just maybe, if we can show them that we all aren't that bad, they won't get pulled to the other side."

Lily stared at him a good, long moment before shaking her head incredulously, "James Potter, will you ever cease to amaze me?"

She hadn't meant to actually say that and she immediately flushed thinking he would just ridicule her ridiculous question. To her amazement, James grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it.

"I hope not."

"Me too." She admitted faintly. "Me too."

* * *

_Sorry this took so long to publish. I had some writer's block with this and my Doctor Who story (that chapter is still in the process of being written and will hopefully be up in about a week) and time was a problem. In the past two weeks alone, I have had six papers, two presentations, and a band performance. Yup, not a lot of brain down time but I'm managing. Hopefully I will get a bit quicker with updates but who knows at this point. _

_Let me know what you think! As bad as it is, reviews are wonderful motivators and often times, one suggestion or comment can inspire a whole scene or concept. _

_Until next time, mis amigos._


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